WHAT IS A VETERAN?
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber then five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite near the 38th parallel.
She (or he) is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
He is A POW who went away one person and came back another- or didn't come back AT ALL.
He is the Parris Island drill instructor who has never seen combat- But has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each OTHER'S BACKS.
He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the carrier quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
He is the three anonymous heroes in the Tomb of the Unknown, whose presence at Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the oceans sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket- palsied now and aggravatingly slow- who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
He is a soldier and savior and a sword against the darkness, and the is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. Thats all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.
TWO Little words that mean a lot, THANK YOU
It's the soldier, not the reporter, who gave us our freedom of the press.
It's the solder, not the poet, who gave us our freedom of speech.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gave us our freedom to demonstrate.
It's the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves others with respect for the flag.
And whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Prayer for our Servicemen
Father, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us. In our time of need. I ask this in the name of the foundation of our liberty, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Please keep praying for our service people. Of all the gifts you could give a U.S. Serviceman. Prayer is the very best one. Author unknown
